The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, which some may recognize as a founding father of the Internet, is developing antisubmarine warfare drones and has released a video game hoping to crowdsource some of the tactical AI behind them.

The ACTUV Tactics Simulator, released by DARPA just a few days ago, is a simulator challenging players to "keep track of elusive submarines" in ways that have "never been thought of before."

"Can you outsmart an enemy submarine commander and keep him from escaping into the deep?" DARPA asks.

Players will be put in charge of the Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel (ACTUV), basically a sub-hunting drone. The submarines they'll be chasing are working from AI that incorporates "actual evasion techniques" used by real commanders.

It's more than a cerebral challenge; it appears to feature single- and multiplayer campaigns, and leaderboards. And it's free.